Fateless

Eighteen long years she had waited for this day, she still couldn’t belive it had happned she had almost given up hope. When Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had gotten theirs 8 years ago she thought for sure she would be next. However as the years went by her hope started to wane. But clear as day to her, there on her flank, was a cutie mark.

Applebloom didn’t even have an idea as to what it meant, seeing as it had just suddenly appeared while she was walking back to Sweet Apple Acres from Ponyville.

She stared at the mark on her flank, it was three small black dots in a triangle all connected to eachother by thin black lines. She ran a hoof over it, half excpeting it to wipe off.

When it didn’t a wide grin spread across her face. She had done it, she didn’t know exactly what yet, but she had found her special talent, her destiny, her fate.

She sprinted the rest of the way home.

Big Macintosh and Applejack were sitting at the table when the front door burst open and Applebloom rushed in tripping over herself and smashing into the table.

Both Applejack and Big Mac sat stunned for a moment before Applebloom jumped to her feet as if nothing happened and squeaked excitedly.

“I DID IT I FINALLY GOT IT!”

Applejack was the first to snap out of her shock “Applebloom what in tarnation are you doing burstin through doors, if one of us had been standing there we coulda been hurt!”

“Applejack! Didn’t you hear me! I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!”

Applejacks look of dissapointment turned to joy at the news ans she swept her sister into a hug, Big Mac mearly stood by and smiled at his younger sister.

“That’s great Applebloom, I told you it would come,”Applejack said “ all in due time.”

“Eeeyup”

“So what is it lets see!” applejack said waiting for her sister to turn and show off her new mark.

Applebloom turned and let Applejack get a good look at her new source of pride and happiness, Applejacks smile faltered for only a second but her body went ridged and her pupils shrunk.

“That’s… that’s great Applebloom!”

Applebloom after years of living with her sister, was one of the few people who could tell when her sister was lying on the rare occasions that she did.

She gave  her sister a scrutinizing gaze “Applejack, you know I can tell when your lying whats wrong”

Her sister looked around frantically before responding “Uh… I err…. I just remember Twilight needs to talk to me.”

Before Applebloom could retort, the orange mare had zipped out the door, dissapearing in a cloud of smoke. She hadnt even run towards Ponyville, instead running headlong into the orchard. Applebloom turned to her older brother, who was looking down at her with a saw expression on, instead of his usual passive bored look.

“Whats wrong Big Mac? Why did Sis run away like that.”

The large stallion walked slowly over to her and placed a large hoof on her shoulder. He stared at  her for a little while, as if trying to take a mental image of her. Finally he took his hoof off her shoulder and started walking to the door, where he stopped and turned to look at her.

“Applebloom I need you to stay here, Do not, I repeat do not go wandering off. I need to go find your sister.”

With that Mac turned and walked out into the orchard.

Applebloom sat for a long time, the sun was lowering in the sky and she was growing impatient. This was not the reaction she had expected from her Siblings. She didn’t expect them to get so weird and run off, and she didn’t even get an explanation. Furthermore, the event had caused her brother to speak in full scentences, that meant something was wrong, very wrong.

Growing tired of sitting in the kitchen, she decided she had waited long enough and trotted over to the door.

Pulling it open she headed out into the apple orchard in search of her brother and sister.

She had been walking for around 10 minutes when she heard it. A soft crying, she moved towards it and when she found the source she almost couldn’t belive it herself.

Applebloom had hardly ever seen her sister cry, she seemed to always have a smile on her face, it took a lot to make her cry. Sure she had cried from joy and laughter on many occasions but, even when Granny had died she had witheld from tears.

But there she was sitting next to Macintosh sobbing profusely into her brothers shoulder. Big Mac just sat there with his hoof around her shoulder letting her cry away.

“A- Applejack?” Applebloom squeaked “whats wrong?”

Applejack looked up from her brothers shoulders at Applebloom and then looked back to Big Mac, and he nodded. Applejack got up and walked over to her sister drawing her into a large hug. Applebloom sat in her sisters embrace for a long time before Applejack let go and looked down at her still crying but much softer.

“Ahm sorry Applebloom, I know you must be mighty confused right now, and you must have a barrel full of questions b- but, I aint the person with the answers…”

“Applebloom,” Big Mac called over to them.

Applebloom looked past her sister over to her brother who was patting the ground next to him.

“Come over here we need to have a talk.”

Applebloom looked back to her sister who only wiped away her tears and nodded at her sister stepping aside to let her walk over to Big Mac who was looking at the ground.

“Whats going on Big Mac whats the matter?” She asked she was close to tears herself.

“Applebloom… there is something you need to know, we wanted to keep you innocent, we really did but… but now it seems we don’t have a choice.”

“What do you mean?” She asked staring at her brother.

“Do you know where we are?” he asked still looking at the ground. She followed his gaze to the two stones that were embedded in the ground at their feet.

“This… this is where Ma and Pa are burried,” she said gazing down at the stones.

“It’s time that you learned what happened to them.”

“But Big Mac I already know, the fire the year I was born, it burned down the barn, and- and well….”

Big Mac closed his eyes and there was silence for a long while, Applebloom grew close to asking another question before he opened his mouth.

“You had another brother.”

Applebloom stared up at her brother studying his face for any signs that he was lying. She stared dumbfounded at him when she realized he was telling the truth.

“what do you mean I have another brother!” she exlaimed “where is he! Why havent I met  him!”

She then looked down at the graves and grew silent. Suddenly realizing the way Big Mac had chose his words. She had another brother, HAD past tense. But there were only two grave stones here and why would they keep something like this a secret?

Big Macintosh slowly continued his story “His name was Great Oak, Ma and Pa named him after the first tree they had planted here” he gestured to the large Oak that was beside the gravestones “He was very much like you, he was adventerous and had a thirst for knowledge that no amount of books or experience could quench. I looked up to him with all my heart he was a good soul. However he never seemed to find his place, he could exceed at a great many of things but never found one that truly pleased him. When he was seven I remember hearing Ma and Pa talking worridly about him never finding his cutie mark but I shrugged it off, because that was impossible. So he grew older,  andwhen I got my mark our parents grew worried again because Oak still hadn’t gotten his, they expressed their concerns to him but he simply laughed it off.”

Big Mac paused and looked over to Applejack and smiled a sadly.

“He did get his one day, it was actually only three months after you were born. Out of the blue on a summer morning it appeared, he was estatic, he had no idea what it meant or why it had appeared but nothing else mattered to him in the world. That day was amazing he took your sister and I into town and treated us to a day off from the farm. When we returned home later that night the lights were on in the kitchen, Ma and Pa were talking loudly with another person, it sounded like they were arguing. We heard a loud voice yelling about how it was Celestias orders and that if they refused to cooperate then the punishment would be severe. Oak  went over and checked the window to see what was going on.”

He paused again, he closed his eyes and was silent for a moment.

“I will never forget the look of fear he had on his face when he came back to us, he told us to go around back and to go upstairs and get you and bring you out into the orchard and wait for these people to leave. I listened to him and brought Applejack around back and upstairs to your room, we heard Oak walk in and the room went silent, the loud voice we heard earlier yelled out for them to seize Oak. We took you from your crib and carried you downstairs you slept the whole way out into the orchard.”

Applejack walked over to the two of them and put a hoof on her brothers shoulder. Big Mac was staring off into the orchard, a stone cold expression on his face.

“I went back…. I left you two in the orchard and went back to see if I could help Oak…. When I was walking back I heard the screaming, it was Ma she was yelling crying out Oaks name, when I walked over the hill I saw Ma and Pa out front and Five other ponies in black armor. They were standing in between Oak and our parents. Two of them placed a bag over his head and threw him into a cart that had arrived while we were out in the orchard. At this point Ma was hysterical, she lashed out at what looked like the leader, his armor had gold trimmings instead of red. She struck him, he shrugged it off and I thought he was going to make nothing of it.”

He paused and looked down again at their mothers grave. The Sun was beginning to set.

“he killed her… I saw it happen, he drew his blade with magic and cut her open right there on the street. Pa rushed forward and caught her before she hit the ground but it didn’t matter she was already dead. Before he could even scream out in agony he killed Pa too… . The leader looked up and saw me on the hill and started to walk towards me. I was frozen with fear, I couldn’t run when he had closed the distance between us he lowered his head to my level and looked me in the eyes. Those eyes, ill never forget them black as the pits of hell themselves. He looked at me fore a few moment before he turned around and barked something to the other ponies with him. They picked up Ma and Pa and dragged them into the house. He then turned back to me and spoke

‘When they ask what happened hear, you will tell them there was a fire… you will tell them that you escaped with your life but your brother and parents…’ he paused as a twisted smile came across his face ‘were not so lucky…. If you tell every one what happened here though…. Then there might be another fire, and this time you wont be so lucky”.

He turned and walked away from me, the two ponies that had brought Ma and Pa into the house were walking out towards the cart too, when they left one of the unicorns summoned a fire and lit the house and barn. I sat there… for hours, I didn’t know what to do, when help had arrived they asked me what happened…. And…. And I told them there was a fire…”

Big Mac was looking down at the graves now. The clearing had grown silent. Applebloom was shocked, her mind was reeling with the new information.

“Big Mac… I- I don’t understand why are you telling me this.”

The silence seemed to stretch on forever as she waited for her brother to respond. He slowly turned his eyes to her, his face racked with sorrow.

“The mark that appeared on Oak… it- it’s the same one that you have now,” he looked back towards the ground, almost like he couldn’t bare to look at her anymore.

Applebloom reeled away from her brother in shock, then the realization sunk in and she started to sob and hyperventilate

“W-Wh- What!”

“Applebloom please,” Big Mac began, tears forming in his eyes. “just calm down let me talk.”

“ARE THEY GOING TO COME FOR ME!” she screamed , her breathing only increasing in rate, she was starting to get light headed, why didn’t they tell her about this before, what was happening this couldn’t be real!

“Now Applebloom calm down and jus bre-“  but Applebloom had shut out the rest of the world and had curled into a ball and begun to sob profusely. The three ponies sat in the clearing for a while longer but Applebloom didn’t stop crying. She didn’t notice when Applejack put her on her brothers back and they started back towards the house, the sun was setting.

When Applebloom had calmed down and had become aware of her surroundings again she noticed she was in her bed. Applejack and Big Mac were sitting in the room talking to eachother. She pretended not to notice and stayed curled in a ball listening to them talk.

“Mac I cant bare ta lose her”

“I know AJ but this time we know they are coming, we can be ready… we- we can hide her”

“Mac these ponies killed Ma and Pa, we don know what they will do to get to her!”

“What do you suggest AJ? We run? And if we run then to where, like you said they seemed pretty determined last time whats to say they wont chase us?”

There was a moment of silence. She could feel both of there gazes on her.

“Then what should we do,” Applejack asked.

Applebloom heard hoofsteps as they started to move towards her door.

“We know they’re coming so we stay and we fight,” his voice slowly faded out as they headed down the stairs. Applebloom sat in her bed and her mind reeled with the events of the day. She felt sick to her stomach, her parents, murdered! Her brother taken from them! A brother she didn’t even know she had. Why didn’t they tell her!

She closed her eyes again and replayed Big Macs story in her head feeling tears come to her eyes again, it would happen again. They would come and Big Mac and AJ would attempt to fight them off, She was confident in her brother and sister but these ponies according to Big Mac had been the soldier type. They would most likely end up killing them both and taking her.

No. She could save them! She quickly got up from her bed and walked over to her saddle bags, She could run! She stopped as she walked past the mirror taking a good look at herself. How had her life changed so quickly, she looked at the mark on her flank and felt a wave of nausia come over her.

Shaking the memories of today out of her head she looked back into the mirror. She tied her long red hair back into a ponytail forgoing her large bow for a red ribbon almost the same color of her hair.  Turning away from the mirror she went to her closet and grabbed a dark brown cloak that she wore when it was especially chilly on the farm.

She then walked over to her door and cracked it open to listen. She could hear her brother and sister moving around downstairs.

“We could tell Celestia!” she heard her sister say over a loud scraping noise, she assumed was from furniture being moved over the hard wood floors.

“Nope.” Big Mac responded “The last time they were hear they said they were on Celestias orders remember?”

“We could Tell Twilight!” Her sister said, fear and stress punctuating ever word.

“AJ, Twilight is Celestia’s prize student who do you think she would believe and even if she did who do you think she would side with.” Her brother said “Its best we take care of this ourselves, no need for others to get hurt.”

Applebloom closed her door. She had heard enough her brother and sister were going to face the mysterious ponies by themselves. They would lose and she would be taken, she walked over to the window and opened it, they would die unless she could save them.

She turned back to her bed and started knotting her bedsheets together, she could go and run, and when AJ and Big Mac went to check on her they would see she had run. They wouldn’t need to fight the ponies then, they could explain they didn’t know where she was. She could save them!

Applebloom threw the knotted rope out the window and tied the other end to her bedpost. She peered over the edge, when she had been a little filly this had seemed like the largest drop in the world, now it almost seemed unessicary to have a rope.

She grabbed onto the sheets and hopped out the window sliding down until she hit the ground. Once she landed she looked back up at her window, she sat for a moment filled with sadness as she realized this might be the last time she ever saw it.

She could hear her brother and sister shifting around more furniture in the house and it snapped her back out of the flood of memories she was experienceing. She was doing this for them. She was saving their lives.

She heard a distant shout barely audable over the scraping of furniture. Turning towards the road to the farm she could see what looked like torches heading towards the house.

The fire arched through the air, Appleblooms eyes widened as she realized they were not torches but infact large fireballs. A explosion ripped through the air as they made contact with the house and fire spread along the roof and upperfloor, inside she could hear Applejack scream.

She turned back to the road in time to see two armored ponies running at full sprint towards her. This wasn’t supposed to happen why were they burning downt he house! She was right there they could have taken her and left, the two ponies barreled into the shocked Applebloom slamming her into the ground.

She felt ropes being tied around her legs and felt herself thrown over one of the ponies backs that had tackled her. All she could do was look at the house and scream out her brother and sisters name.

The two ponies started to move away from the house ignoring the screams from their new protesting prisoner. As they moved away from the house she turned and looked, there in the glow of the burning house she saw them. They really were black as the pits of hell, the tall unicorn pony stared down at her from behind the black and gold helmet as she was dropped at his feet she could only sit there sobbing. Finally she got the courage and looked up into the cold black eyes.

“w- wh- why?” she sobbed.

The pony leaned down untill he was at eyelevel with her “Well you see, we brought our magus with us-“ he said pointing a hoof at a unicorn pony who's coat and eyes matched the blood red armor he wore “- I didn’t want him to make the trip and not get to burn anything now did i?”

The pony returned back to his full height and turned to the others. “Bag her and throw her in the cart, we still have three more to collect, lets move out!”

Applebloom was sitting horrified on the ground still sobbing. The next thing she knew a bag was over her head. Followed by a sharp pain in the back of her skull, she sat their for just a moment still sobbing out her siblings names before she fell forward after being struck again and let her conciousness slip away.